Ethiopian Treasures

Mekele

Mekele is situated on the bottom of hills, and was founded by Emperor Yohannes IV as his capital when he relocated his power base from Debra Berhane to Mekele in 1881. Yohnnes built a number of churches including the churches of Saint Teklehaimanot, Medhane Alem and Kidane Mihret during the 1870s and a palace, which is now a museum, in the 1880s.

Mekele is a useful base from which to visit the rock-hewn churches around
Tigray such as the Churches of "Abraha wa Atsebah" in Wukro.

Mekele is an important city for the Tigrayan economy. It is the terminus of the salt caravan route from the Danakil Depression (Danakil Desert), where the slabs of salt are mined in the Arho region and transported by camel back caravans to Mekele. Salt merchants come to Mekele market from all over the country.

Arho is the hottest region in the country and the temperature climbs up to 50 degree Celsius. The journey from Mekele to Arho, the salt mine area, is very tough and many people and camels die on route. It takes between one to two weeks to make the journey.

References

Roderick Grierson and Stuart Munro-Hay, The Ark of the Covenant, 2000, published by Phoenix, London, UK, ISBN 0753810107

Stuart Munro-Hay, Ethiopia, The Unknown Land a Cultural and Historical Guide, 2002, published by I.B. Tauris and Co. Ltd., London and New York, ISBN 1 86064 7448

Jenny Hammond, Fire From The Ashes, A Chronicle of the Revolution in Tigray, Ethiopia, 1975-1991, 1999, published by The Read Sea Press, Inc., ISBN 1 56902 0868

Edward Ullendorff, Ethiopia and The Bible, The Schweich Lectures, The British Academy, Published by The Oxford University Press, first published 1968, Reprinted 1989, 1992, 1997, Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, United Kingdom, ISBN 0-19-726076-4

Mr. Solomon Kibriye (2003). Imperial Ethiopia Homepage, http://www.angelfire.com/ny/ethiocrown. Many thanks to Mr. Solomon Kibriye for the contribution and comments he has made to this website.